Notes: This is (so far) a nonce word, but it opens the possibility of a host of derivations. By back-formation we may presume a verb, desnorolate "to prevent snoring", a noun desnorolation, and at least two adjectives, desnorolative and desnorolational.

In Play: Today's Good Word is currently just a lexical plaything, though I think it a good candidate to be widely accepted as a replacement for CPAP, pronounced inexplicably [see-pæp]. It could be used in expressions like this one: "Fearing a heart attack resulting from his sleep apnea, Lois Riske went to a sleep specialist who prescribed a desnorolator for her."

Word History: We know the exact time and place where this word emerged: September 23, 2012 at the home of my son and his wife. When their daughter Abigail opened the door to greet her grandparents to a sleep-over with her, she promptly asked, "Tupah, do you snore?" To which I replied, "Well, I do, but I brought my CPAP with" (in typical Pennsylvania Dutch). Not knowing what a CPAP was, she replied, "Did you bring your desnorolator?"—completely unprompted and unrehearsed. Thus a much better word than CPAP was born. It is made up of de- "not, un-" + snor(e) "snore" + -olator, by analogy with percolator, calculator, etc. (Today we owe thanks to Abigail Beard, age 7, for not only suggesting, but inventing today's perfectly Good Word.)

I have other names for the desnorolator than my Mother would never let me say. I tie myself to one of these monstors every night. I guess it keeps sleep apnea from killing me, but how am I to know? I can't do a controlled study with only one subject.

My bad. I didn't read the word history of the desnorolator before I responded. Now that this has been pointed out, I also congratulate Abigail for wisdom beyond her years. I hope it becomes a standard word.

A lot of the Good Doctor's funny names are some kind of conflicted. It is all in fun. I look forward to them. It represents no gender bias on anyone's part. Some of his masculine names are also pretty conflicted.

Perhaps Lois went to the doctor representing her husband, Hy, who is the one with the sleep condition, but he had to unexpectedly work that day and couldn't meet the appointment? Appointments with specialists are often hard to get and booked well into the future. Sounds like a dutiful, concerned spouse kind of thing to me. . .

I often have the Disney Channel on, for various reasons,one being that it is musically noisy and keeps sleepingbirds, which I raise, awake. There is a kids show on itcalled "Phineas and Ferb", and one character in it isthe Evil Doctor. He has visions of controlling everythingin the 'tri-state area'. He has no end of inventionsand every one of them end in the 'orolator' we arehere discussing. I wonder if our creative Abigailwatches that show and made the connection.

Boy, could I ever use a desnorolator! Here lately I've begun to snore for some reason. I've never snored before, and now I'm doing it. Aggravating!! I'm guessing I have no sleep apnea since I wake up fairly rested. I'm hoping I can avoid the See-Pap machine since I have trouble sleeping on my back.

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I'm going to change myself. -- Rumi

One's sleeping position does not determine whether she/he snores. If you need one of the now famous desnorolators, you are not required to sleep on your back. I have never slept on my back and I have had one of those dratted, infernal machines for a long time now. You may choose the left side or the right side for sleeping. Since I have begun calling it my desnorolator, it seems a little less hostile. Sleep apnea is a puzzle to me. I took the test, all twelve hours of it, and the doctor says I have it. So I do what the doctor tells me to do. If I don't, "Doctor" Mom (my dear wife), my MD son and my MD son-in-law will see that I do. What does a systems engineer and frustrated writer know about those things?

Good to know the CPAP does not require exclusively sleeping on your back. For as long as I can remember I have always awoke laying (lying?) on my right side, no matter what position I was in when I fell asleep. I believe I could be hanging upside down like a vampire and I would wake up on my right side. Only within the last few years have I started snoring. Can't figure it out.

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I'm going to change myself. -- Rumi